Once a Beer Bowl, Now a Beer Bowl Dump - 4/1/2019

We moved here when I was a child some 40+ years ago. I left to go to school, returned for a job, left for another job out of state, returned to help family, left state for a job, and returned once again to help family/friends. So I've lived here off and on for over 50 years (but i've about 10 years with living experiences outside of Brown County, outside the state of WI, and outside the country.). In other words I've experienced Green Bay as an insider and an outsider. Job outlooks are poor, particularly for well educated people. Residents with local culture have limited social skills as many are born and raised in Green Bay and do not find it necessary to expand their social networks, unless of course, you are sitting on a barstool in a local bar. Little night life unless you drink alcohol. Safety is an issue 24/7 given Green Bay had/has the distinction of being one of the heaviest (if not the heaviest) drinking city in the country. Heads up WHENEVER you are on the road because the drunks are out there from morning through night. Few job opportunities lead to increased drug use, theft, prostitution, and more violent acts of crime. Twenty years ago, I would say you could live anywhere in the city with relativel safety. No more. I've had gun fire within feet of my residence twice in the last year and there is no space to address the human trafficing, drug houses, etc. that are near my properties. I own real estate and I am couting the days when it sells and I can leave this area of the state.

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Great Little City - 1/6/2019

Grew up here. There's not as much to do as in a large city, but it's safe fun place full of nice people.

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I wouldn't move here if you're a minority - 9/24/2018

I've been living here since 2014 since moving from California and I've noticed that while there are some cool people here, most are rude and out of that group some are racist. I get a lot of people that lock their doors when I walk to a restaurant (in broad daylight mind you), people watching me when I go into stores (even though I'd been living here 4 years, work in the area and have never attempted to steal before nor plan to), and folks giving me dirty looks. When you have to work around them its worse. I usually stay to myself and I get folks that will aggressively mess with me at jobs and act flat out rude. I've even had multiple full on workplaces mob against me in the workplaces and I've had to quit before anything escalated. I've even nearly went to jail at one of my jobs because some racist lady made up a lie stating that I've assaulted her when we got in a tug of war with a cash register because she wouldn't let me count my money like my former manager asked! Not to mention, even the police are shady and corrupt. I got off work from my job at 4am and because my coworkers were long gone. I had to walk home. I had my speakers I carry to work for listening. I was stalked and then stopped. Asked if I stolen the speakers, never mind that its a gun friendly state. And then interrogated because he didn't believe I lived in the area when I've lived here for then 3 years. Not to mention, me being watched by certain police and I'm rarely outside except when I need to do laundry. As a pro, I like the winters here oddly because no one likes the winter and I like the neighborhood. Its so quiet and have never lived in a neighborhood so quiet. But the people and the people in charge ruin it for me with their aggressive, prejudice rude and racist behavior and I am looking to move when I save some money. If you're white things may be a little easier for you. But if you're a minority (especially black) and don't have anyone to back you up, the ignorant people will try to make it hell for you to live here.

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Green Bay is one of the Worst Places in Wisconsin - 8/9/2016

There was a time in the 1980's and the 1990's when I used to say that Green Bay was generally safe, comfortable, and a nice place to live. But once I got to actually know someone that lived in the City of Green Bay, I would tell everyone to STAY AWAY FROM GREEN BAY. What a nightmare! Green Bay used to be thriving in the 1990's...but a new mayor and city council have run the place into the ground. Many of the factories have closed, most of the paper processing plants are gone, and the city has lots of dead rotting buildings and infrastructure. There are few stable jobs. Green Bay has a few areas of the city that are affluent, much like any city. The only thing Green Bay has is the Green Bay Slackers, a football team that plays about 8 games a year at the most in the city. Why Green Bay has an NFL team yet is somewhat of a mystery. Other than that, there isn't much to do in Green Bay, other than get lost in its maze of streets and roads that are terrible to navigate. But hiding behind all of that is the nightmare.. One of the reasons that many businesses left Green Bay Wisconsin is the fact that the City is absolutely a TERRIBLE place to do business. Try to build something, even add a wall in your business or home, and the City sends out building code cops to harass you and intimidate you. I've dealt with the City of Chicago, even Milwaukee, and Green Bay is just terrible to work with, it seems like working with the mafia, they want you to pay the mobsters otherwise bad things happen to you... The city has some of the worse codes and ordinances and makes the Chinese government look like saints. If you accidentally leave your city trash can out after they pick up trash, the city fines you $75! Yes, $75 a can. Have more than one city garbage can, and having to get to work on time can cost you $150 or more. The City of Green Bay has no respect for the constitution and property rights. I know of a couple that went on vacation for two weeks and returned to find that the City had tresspassed on their property and completely cut all of their decorative flowers and plants. They claimed that they violated a city ordinance. Never served a warrant, just did $3500 worth of damage to the citizen's property. They moved out of the city and filed suit against the City of Green Bay for damages for the value of their home, which they state is basically worthless because they cannot use it as they wish. I had another friend that came home to find his car missing from his driveway. He thought it was stolen. After dealing with the "mafia" the city claimed that his vehicle was "too old" and they towed his vehicle from his private driveway at his home, when he was at work. The city attempted to extort over $400 to return his car. They never had a warrant to seize property and trespass on his land, and caused him financial harm as he could hardly afford to pay his utility bills because of the paying the ransome to the City. Further, he was harassed by the city after that many times. Wal-Mart, which is obviously a well known store chain, attempted to purchase and build a store in Downtown Green Bay, an area which is zoned for such types of businesses. The location that Wal Mart attempted to build on was previously a department store, and was a perfect match for zoning for a large retailer. The City of Green Bay requires "approval" (approval of the head of the mafia) in order to build a structure or commercial building. The City Council denied Wal Mart a permit to build their store in Downtown Green Bay. Such activity caused Wal Mart financial harm, which invested millons in the design and development of the store. But don't forget about all the JOBS that were lost because of that Wal Mart not being built. Green Bay has both big crime and petty crime, it ranges from graffiti...along with the city harssing you the day after you've been vandalized with potential fines....to shootings, robberies, muggings, car thefts.... Over all, there is ABSOLUTELY nothing that would attract me to Green Bay. There are a few nice areas around the lake, but why not just drive north on either side of the Peninsula? Overall, I would describe Green Bay as a living hell, only from people that I met that actually lived there or tried to live there or do business there! STAY AWAY, that house is not worth the trouble!

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Green Bay - 4/18/2015

It is too damn cold

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All About Green Bay, WI - 4/16/2014

Very high property taxes and lowering housing values. Gas is 50 cents more per gallon than down South. Daycare is around $160.00, but is probably higher since I have not had to pay for all day daycare in 3 years. The housing is not what is stated for a median house value per the US Census Bureau. That is probably an old post. Per the US Census Bureau population is 5,742,713. Median value of housing is $169,000, USA median value is $181,400. Median household income 2008-2012 $52,627, USA $53,046. Poverty is high and any wage under $10.63 is considered poverty level per a democratic and US Census Bureau report for this area. Since our governor chose to not extend the Medicaid for our poor people, insurance rates are sky rocketing and pay per our is getting less and less. The government has more to do with every aspect of this state than you think it does. The wages are kept low and this state chose not to increase the minimum wages. When I moved from SC to here I was making $15.50 an hr in SC and had to start at $12.50 for the same type of job with 23 yrs of experience in that field. This state DOES NOT pay very much for experience, but request that you have experience to get a better than minimum wage job. The winters are 10 months long and I DO NOT consider 50 degrees to be a Spring. Don't let them lie to you, there are not 4 seasons in this state. There are 2, 10 months of freezing your butt off and 2 months of somewhat warmer weather. You may get 5 days or add or subtract a couple in the 90's, otherwise it can get into the 60's in the summer as well. If you have a college degree, which you need to get anywhere in this state, you still start at the bottom of the payscale in your field. When you check websites to check for the average or median, subtract about $5.00 at least from that total to start out at that job. If you quit, get fired, or layed off of your job, you start back down at the bottom of the payscale. The government is more interested in helping the big businesses and retail stores than its own people. The middle and poor people do not have a chance in this state. I hope you are rich, then you will be just fine moving here and I hope you love the cold because you are going to freeze your butt off. The schools are suppose to be the best rated, however I have had negative experiences with one of the teachers in a elementary school. The school chose to ignore any problems that my child had with learning and chose to treat him as if he was a problem child. The would not test him for any learning problems until I demanded that they do. My son hated going to school and the school was calling me 4 times a week. After the schools insisted that I have him checked for ADHD, I did by a psychiatrist to find out that he had ADHD. I chose to sit in on my sons class one day after I had gone to lunch with him to find out what was going on. This is when I realized the extreme problems and falling behind, but the school was going to continue to pass him to the next grade. This year with a different teacher and also on medication my son is exceeding expectations and is on or above grade level in all areas. At the time that I sat in on class all day, this was May of the school year. This was almost the end of the school year. So don't tell me that their schools are great, I beg to differ. The housing is right on top of each other and unless you live further out of town you can spit in your neighbors yard all around you. The neighbors are snobby and do not have much to do with each other. Oh, and lets not forget to make sure that you have an electric collar on your dog if he goes outside or a fenced in yard, otherwise they will call the cops on you and you can get fined up to $380.00 and $125.00 for the dog running around the neighborhood and if the dog poops in another neighbors yard. These people are NOT animal friendly people. My suggestion is to move out of town to have more land of your own. You will pay even more for the land and house than you will for the house in town, but the taxes in town are extremely high and the roads are crappy. I hope you have good shocks and tires on your vehicle because you are going to need it to drive in this town. The roads are filled in pot holes which open back up and more after each winter. They are so bumpy it is no wonder that it doesn't mess the car up permanently. The salt in the winter time can eat your car up if you don't keep washing it down in the sub zero temps. Let's see what else. Oh, yeah the jobs expect you to go to work in a blizzard and the temps this year were below zero for a good 45-60 days straight. You need four wheel drive to get around safely and to make sure that you able to get to work that demands that you go no matter what the weather is like. The jobs require perfection and they babysit you like you are back in elementary school. They only like to give 25 cent raises a year also. No wonder the people need unions in this state. Now I know why.

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Green Bay Public Schools - 11/11/2011

Green Bay has some of the finest schools in the state. The teachers are dedicated to student achievement.

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Air Alerts and Toxic Clean-Ups - 8/26/2010

With nearly 200,000 people in the metro Green Bay area, traffic congestion has become a major problem. Summers have become extremely hot and humid with dewpoints reaching higher numbers than places in Florida. When the wind blows in from the Southeast, we have unhealthy air alerts. The paper industy has polluted the air quality here. The Fox River superfund clean-up with removal of PCB's is in full-swing. Our water costs have gone way up with the addition of the Lake Michigan pipeline and utilities have become costly. Go up to the Northwoods Wisconsin to find pristine air to breathe.

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Green Bay - NOT a frozen tundra and NOT all about - 7/27/2009

Contrary to popular belief, the climate in Green Bay is not much different from any other state in the midwest or east. For instance, it is not generally colder in Green Bay than it is in Chicago. I also doubt that the winterz in Green Bay are colder than eastern states, but I don't know that for sure. Green Bay has many things going for it besides the Packers...Bay Beach, trails, a thriving downtown, a burgeoning art community, botanical gardens, the NEW Zoo, wineries, award-winning cheese manufacturers, many events, and much more!

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good place to raise a family - 6/26/2009

Green Bay has a small country town feel with the amineties of a bigger city including the Packers. Crime is very low and people are very friendly. Wisconsin taxes and the long winters are a draw back and cause many retirees to leave the state. The cost of housing is very reasonable and medical care is excellent which is why the President visited us to make a push for his health plan.

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Snow and Cold - 3/29/2009

Other than the snow and cold Green Bay is a great place to live: Low cost of living, low crime rate, great shopping, etc.

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I Like It Here! - 2/11/2009

I've lived in Green Bay for over forty years. Sure we have some rough winters but overall the climate is great. We enjoy the four seasons to the fullest. Even though we have an urban setting, we haven't lost our small town atmosphere. As a real estate broker, I have first hand knowledge of our excellent housing and job market. I like it here! I can't imagine living anywhere else.

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As a member of one of those "Green Bay families" i - 9/26/2008

You want to know what Green Bays about? Well I am from one of those huge multi generational "Green Bay families" that never leave and I will tell you exactly what Green Bay is like. Ok Green Bay is a regional legal, hospital, retail and entertainment center with a paper manufacturing base. So what you get with Green Bay basically is a small city with a nearly abandoned downtown and a population that is made up of those too stupid to leave and failed farmers from "up norf" looking to make it in the "big city." I was born and raised in Green Bay and it really is a good place to have a big family, if your rich, which very few are! Problem is anyone with a brain and/or an education leaves first changes they get because the job market is worse than terrible..Its 3rd world! The true locals are nice, friendly and well educated. Educated enough to leave toot sweet and they are replaced by failed farmers and U.P of Michigan refugees who are little more than vicious, ignorant and seriously drunk hill billies. These hick farm folk come to Green Bay and are complete jerks because they don't know how to deal with traffic, they think Green Bay is a big scary city full of bad people and they are overwhelmed by things like stop lights, parking ramps or things like seeing actual minorities. In short Green Bay is great, if you want to make 11 bucks an hour, stay drunk 24/7/365, weigh 300lbs+++ and like to do things like shining deer with spot lights or shooting beer cans of the hood of your pick up truck with a rusty .22 and not care if you miss and hit the truck. For everyone else, aka normal sober non-U.P'ers, Green Bay is the Gaza strip of the mid-west. It really is little more than a refugee camp for failed farmers and UP'er fleeing the utter wasteland of the Upper peninsula of Michigan. Green Bay is a complete dump and its worse than even the most negative people here are saying! The weather is as bad as they say and the people are hick, ignorant and extremely drunk! In fact here is how bad the drinking is in Wisconsin. Nevada is #1 in booze consumption and Wisconsin is second. Both states are about 5 million people yet Nevada gets 36 million tourists a year into the party towns of Reno and Los Vegas. So the reality is that the 5 million people of Wisconsin drink almost as much as the state of Nevada with nothing even close to the 36 million tourists or a party Mecca like Vegas! We don’t get 36 million tourists to pad our consumption numbers, 5 million Wisconsinites just normally drink as much as the 40 million people rolling through Nevada every year! The amount of drinking is honestly shocking and the best advice I could gave you is never try to go drink for drink with someone from Wisconsin, you could easy die! I’m even talking skinny Wisconsin college girls, they will burry you! I’m not kidding even most of the women here would and could drink a case of beer (we don’t have 3.2 beer like Nevada either!) and still function well enough to drive to IHOP for post drinking pancakes. I heard a Green Bay cop once say that he had cut back on his drinking and was down to a case of beer a day! A CASE A DAY AND THIS IS A GREEN BAY COP WITH 15-20 YEARS OF SERVICE TALKING!! The place is that terrible and worse!

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As a member of one of those "Green Bay families" i - 9/26/2008

You want to know what Green Bays about? Well I am from one of those huge multi generational "Green Bay families" that never leave and I will tell you exactly what Green Bay is like. Ok Green Bay is a regional legal, hospital, retail and entertainment center with a paper manufacturing base. So what you get with Green Bay basically is a small city with a nearly abandoned downtown and a population that is made up of those too stupid to leave and failed farmers from "up norf" looking to make it in the "big city." I was born and raised in Green Bay and it really is a good place to have a big family, if your rich, which very few are! Problem is anyone with a brain and/or an education leaves first changes they get because the job market is worse than terrible..Its 3rd world! The true locals are nice, friendly and well educated. Educated enough to leave toot sweet and they are replaced by failed farmers and U.P of Michigan refugees who are little more than vicious, ignorant and seriously drunk hill billies. These hick farm folk come to Green Bay and are complete jerks because they don't know how to deal with traffic, they think Green Bay is a big scary city full of bad people and they are overwhelmed by things like stop lights, parking ramps or things like seeing actual minorities. In short Green Bay is great, if you want to make 11 bucks an hour, stay drunk 24/7/365, weigh 300lbs+++ and like to do things like shining deer with spot lights or shooting beer cans of the hood of your pick up truck with a rusty .22 and not care if you miss and hit the truck. For everyone else, aka normal sober non-U.P'ers, Green Bay is the Gaza strip of the mid-west. It really is little more than a refugee camp for failed farmers and UP'er fleeing the utter wasteland of the Upper peninsula of Michigan. Green Bay is a complete dump and its worse than even the most negative people here are saying! The weather is as bad as they say and the people are hick, ignorant and extremely drunk! In fact here is how bad the drinking is in Wisconsin. Nevada is #1 in booze consumption and Wisconsin is second. Both states are about 5 million people yet Nevada gets 36 million tourists a year into the party towns of Reno and Los Vegas. So the reality is that the 5 million people of Wisconsin drink almost as much as the state of Nevada with nothing even close to the 36 million tourists or a party Mecca like Vegas! We don’t get 36 million tourists to pad our consumption numbers, 5 million Wisconsinites just normally drink as much as the 40 million people rolling through Nevada every year! The amount of drinking is honestly shocking and the best advice I could gave you is never try to go drink for drink with someone from Wisconsin, you could easy die! I’m even talking skinny Wisconsin college girls, they will burry you! I’m not kidding even most of the women here would and could drink a case of beer (we don’t have 3.2 beer like Nevada either!) and still function well enough to drive to IHOP for post drinking pancakes. I heard a Green Bay cop once say that he had cut back on his drinking and was down to a case of beer a day! A CASE A DAY AND THIS IS A GREEN BAY COP WITH 15-20 YEARS OF SERVICE TALKING!! The place is that terrible and worse!

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Climate - 11/29/2007

We have four distinct seasons, cold winters, hot summers, and mild spring and falls

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Green Bay - 11/19/2007

Green Bay Pros 1. if your a Packers fan you might like the city 2. low crime rate 3. very cheap place to live 4. Lambeau Field Negatives 1. very poor job market 2. having lived for 7 years in WI, the winters are very rough up in Green Bay 3. number of rude people 4. unappealing looking city 5. most of the people can only hold a conversation if it revolves around the Packers. 6. Not a place to live if your not a Packers fan 7. many Packers fans can be obnoxious

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Living in Green Bay....the good, the bad and the u - 6/15/2007

Well, where do I start? Green Bay is not perfect. The other person was right, the people are very territorial. Generations have lived here forever. It seems very few people leave. It can be very hard to meet and establish long-term friendships. However, a lot of new people are moving in. This predominately blue-collar town is transitioning. More educated people are moving into this area and that is definately changing the landscape. The weather can be awful; however spending one year in the desert southwest...I was itching for some variety and quite frankly a break from the sun. The "pollution problem", well folks, it does exist here but in MUCH less numbers than other places such as Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, (I can keep going). Green Bay is different in the aspect that they are working hard to rectify past generations ignorance/apathy toward the environment. The Fox River is going thru a major clean-up and will most likely be PCB free in the next decade. Also, the biking trails are outstanding here! Out of EVERY place I have ever lived including Madison, WI (dubbed bike capitol of the U.S.), Green Bay puts them all to shame. There are several major bike paths that extend for MILES where one doesn't have to battle traffic...ever. It is amazing! I have lived in Green Bay for a total of almost 11 years (wow, that number shocked me) and although when I left the first time I swore I would never be back...I am happy to be where I am now. The first time I lived in Green Bay from 1992-1996, I felt the area was very provential and stifling. I was young and ready to see more of the world. Well, I saw more and I realized that maybe Green Bay wasn't so terrible. When my husband got a great job offer here, I really felt at odds with coming back. It is not quite my dream place, but truly don't know if any place like that exists. We have a beautiful home, in a great neighborhood, some good friendships and easy access to some beautiful nature. My children attend a WONDERFUL school and the love where they live. The airport is large enough to get us out of here quickly and cities like Minneapolis and Chicago are an easy day drive. So in short, it is a good place to live. I have lived in other parts of the country/world and I guess I have discovered with maturity that every place has some citizens begging to get out (usually the young) and some citizens begging to get in (mostly the older and wiser). It is what you make

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Let's get it straight - 4/29/2007

Ok, most of the posts are either exaggerating, or just plain lying. I'll address the issues most commonly mentioned, only I'll use truth. Weather- Yes, it's not the best in the country, but it's exactly like any other midwestern city- including Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Madison. It wouldn't be fair to single out one city for long winters and humid summers. Mother nature doesn't work with boundary lines. Water, No it's not "toxic" to drink, and No, we've never been told to drink it in low doses, which doesn't even make sense, if water's bad- it's bad, any amount will harm you. If you live in surrounding areas and are drinking well water, that's your own fault, move into the city where they have a water utility plant. The Fox River- Yes, very polluted, but they are taking steps to clean it up. They recognize the problem and are working to resolve it, but at no point could you ever "walk across it", or even come close. Close minded/rude people- I've lived in Madison, Minneapolis, Colorado Springs and Green Bay- close minded and rude people are not confined to one area in this country, let's not pretend Green Bay is the root of all evil. Generational families- a lot of comments complained about this, which is strange to me as I see it as a testament to Green Bay as it being a great place to live and raise your family. Obviously family values and close ties are prominent in this area, it's strange that some would find this as a negative. The Packers- if you know anything about Green Bay, you would know many people find the Packers annoying, aside from putting GB on the map they serve little purpose aside from traffic jams and an annoying amount of local news coverage. There are plenty of other ways to spend your time in GB other than at bars and watching TV (side note- it was funny to read all the people suggesting others live in Milwaukee or Madison because of Green Bay's drinking problem, when both of those cities have higher numbers of bars per capita and drinking related problems, not to mention just higher crime in general than Green Bay) Bottom line, Green Bay is a friendly, open community. However, any city you choose to live in is just as good as you make it. If you focus on the few negatives and refuse to get out there, meet and develope relationships with people and your community of course you'll hate it and want to get out- but let's not kid ourselves- that reflects upon you, not the city.

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There is no perfect place! - 3/14/2007

I spent part of my childhood in Green Bay and wanted to do nothing more than leave when I finished high school. I have since traveled to over eighty countries and thirty-eight states and am now moving back to Green Bay. I have visited many places that had features that Green Bay doesn't, but I have also seen the warts on these nice places as well. Green Bay has a nice mixture of friendly people, a low cost of living, decent schools, and a low violent crime rate that make it very attractive for people like me who have held the brass ring and are ready for a quieter, gentler pace. Yes, the weather can be horrific at times, but then, after living through the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons in Florida, it doesn't seem that bad.

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really bad Weather, irritating people, high taxes, - 10/2/2006

I no longer live in Green Bay and wonder how I ever did. The weather is really bad...the pollution and water are deadly and the people are not that nice. The town is made up of mostly a bunch of clans that have been there for generations. If you come in from the outside you will never be accepted or fit into this community. Just go around town on Thanksgiving or XMAS and you will see, every 5 houses has 20 cars parked outside. The air and water pollution is the worst in the country. The most polluted river in the U.S. runs right thru the middle of town and it is putrid, just go down and take a look at the water, you could almost walk across it. It will take billions to clean up the Fox River. The air pollution given off by the stinking paper mills will burn your nose if you are upwind of them. They actually have an island just offshore Lake Michigan made up of PCB's and paper waste. Northern Wisconsin and the Madison area are a thousand times nicer if you have to live in Wisconsin. The taxes in this state are outrageous, high income taxes, thru the roof property taxes, high sales tax. Heating bills that will leave you crying and short summers that will piss you off. After enduring bitterly cold, dirty snow and clouds month after month after month, you would think something decent would come along by April, FORGET it. The weather is still cloudy, cool and wet every year until June, then you better get out and enjoy it because by August the days are getting short and the evenings getting cool. The only thing to do in the town is watch the stupid ass Packers and I am a fan, but they can't even get that right. It will be another 30 years before those boys win another championship. The Packers have a bad GM and a lousy coach. The best thing that could happen to them is if Bellichek ever became available(like he would ever move to this craphole). Good players don't want to move to Green Bay. If you have ever lived in a warm climate don't move here. They do have pretty good golf courses in the area for the 30 months you can use them and some of the Friday Night fish frys are good(Brett Favres Steakhouse has a good one).

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